Former India spinner Murali Kartik showered praise on KL Rahul after the fourth day of the fourth Test match against England. Rahul played a gutsy knock of 87* to keep England bowlers at bay. The home team took a massive lead of 311 runs after they posted 669 runs on the board.
Furthermore, India found themselves under the cosh at 0-2 before the lunch break. Yashasvi Jaiswal and rookie batter Sai Sudharsan were both dismissed on blobs by Chris Woakes.
However, Rahul and Indian captain Shubman Gill were able to steady the ship. Gill also scored an impressive knock of 78 as he added 174 runs with Rahul.
Murali Kartik said on Cricbuzz, “One must also talk about KL Rahul, who has stood out throughout the series. You could say he has played like a model of composure, discipline, correct technique, and most importantly, the right temperament. I don’t think anything happening around him affects him or makes him stray from his game plan.”
“To play through two sessions without losing a wicket, especially on a pitch where the ball is keeping low, and when England is bowling in unison with intensity, is remarkable. When a team senses victory, it gives them a different kind of fuel, a special energy for both the team and the bowlers. To dent that momentum and show such a fightback at that point is simply brilliant and extraordinary,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill was dropped by Liam Dawson at backward point when the right-hander was on 46. Kartik said it would have been a massive moment had Dawson grabbed his chance.
“Today, when India were 2/0, the way KL Rahul and Shubman Gill batted was brilliant. KL Rahul played with composure, but when Shubman Gill was on 46, he got a big life. Brydon Carse bowled a delivery and Liam Dawson dropped his catch in the gully. It wasn’t a particularly difficult catch, but sometimes in English conditions, you pick the ball late — and that’s exactly what happened. The ball came quickly, hit his hands, and slipped away. At that time, the score was 74 for two.”
“Losing another wicket at that moment would have been a major blow because England would have regrouped and piled on the pressure. You could see from the way those two early wickets fell in the first over itself that England felt like they could finish the match that very day. What followed, the spirited effort by the captain and the most senior player, was brilliant. But that dropped catch was a key moment, because another wicket then would have been a serious warning sign for India,” he added.
India would look to play for a draw, whereas England’s bowlers would hunt for eight wickets.
